


adoption day

by onthighsbelongtotaemin



Series: fidelity [1]
Category: SHINee
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Polyamorous Character, Queerplatonic Relationships, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 22:31:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8818672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onthighsbelongtotaemin/pseuds/onthighsbelongtotaemin
Summary: gwiboon and minho sit in the parking lot waiting.  gwiboon was in such an excited rush she misread the website and they ended up at the pound at ten o’clock instead of eleven.  they’ve been waiting thirty minutes and they have thirty to go and while minho is no longer flustered from being rushed out of the apartment that morning, gwiboon is practically vibrating with energy.  and the double-shot espresso she made herself before shoving minho out the door is not helping.  unfortunately the excitement and the caffeine are causing not only her energy to spike but her nerves and she is on a rampage infuriated that, once again, she has been marked as heterosexual just because she has a boyfriend.





	

gwiboon and minho sit in the parking lot waiting. gwiboon was in such an excited rush she misread the website and they ended up at the pound at ten o’clock instead of eleven. they’ve been waiting thirty minutes and they have thirty to go and while minho is no longer flustered from being rushed out of the apartment that morning, gwiboon is practically vibrating with energy. and the double-shot espresso she made herself before shoving minho out the door is not helping. unfortunately the excitement and the caffeine are causing not only her energy to spike but her nerves and she is on a rampage infuriated that, once again, she has been marked as heterosexual just because she has a boyfriend. 

“don’t get me wrong babe, I love you and it’s ride or die,” she proclaims, the multiple piercings in her ears glistening in the morning sun, “but come on! it’s the twenty-first century and we live in a society that still demands that we arbitrarily define our relationships based on a presupposed binary system that leaves us with the options of only ‘either or’. instead of acknowledging the plethora of romantic and sexual attraction that exist within the human experience we are forced down to narrow definitions that assume there can only be two genders and that you can only be attracted to one. why would that even make sense to anyone? 

“i understand the base assumption that the need to replicate ones genes would create the impression that heterosexuality would be a base line. but that demands a form of monogamy that has only recently taken root and is in conflict with that same urge. besides all that, sexual attraction is complicated and personal and should not be up for debate. there should be no determination of a “base line” as there’s so rarely a complete marriage of sexual and romantic attraction being expressed in heterosexual terms only. cis-hetero is not the ‘norm’, it’s what’s popular. 

“and the sheer audacity of that twit in the anarchy hat, which i guarantee is a form of political thinking of which they have no base understanding of either the political or social ramifications of, not to mention the historical precedence of its foundation, and probably just wears it because they think that advertising themselves as one makes them appear counter-culture and intellectually deep, actually saying to my face that it was ‘queer only, cis-heteros need not apply’. what does that even mean? do i need an i.d. badge to prove that i am in fact a member of queer society? that the ‘b’ in ‘lgbt’ is representative of me and my kind? that my assumed gender and that of the person beside me does not actually disqualify me from in fact being queer? their gaydar is shit.”

at this point she slumps back down in her chair, crosses her arms and glares out at the fenced in patio protruding from pound’s main building. 

“that’s a nice set up they have there. look at the way the fence goes around and above and how it’s wooden at the base and mesh at the top letting in sunlight but keeping them from being watched. keeps the kitties safe and warm i’m sure.”

minho turns his head to the side to hide the smile on his face. gwiboon’s ability to go from zero to one hundred back to zero never ceases to amaze him. life with her is never dull. he agrees with everything she says, his bisexuality is questioned even more often as hers as his appearance is a perfect emulation of the standard cis-hetero. it’s not on purpose, he just likes khakis and button ups. it works in his favor when he’s out with his boyfriend jonghyun, though. 

“do you think they’ll let us play with her first? i’d really like to take her out to that little yard over there,” she points to a large patch of grass on the side of the building, “maybe play a little. she looks so sweet on the website. and so young, just under two years. who gives a puppy away? i hate those jerks who get all excited about puppies but once they grow up at all then it’s too much and they just drop them off at the pound. what do these assholes think, that they’re going to stay little puppies forever? here’s a wild thought: puppies come from dogs! puppies grow up to be dogs! it’s not fucking rocket science! they’re not toys to play with, they’re not games you can just quit. they’re a responsibility and if you can’t handle them at their worst you don’t deserve them at their precious puppy best!”

she huffs and slumps in her chair again, her eyes dark and narrow. there’s a few moments of silence before minho reaches over and puts his hand over her clenched fist, rubbing his thumb against her own. it’s a silent confirmation that he agrees with everything she’s just said and she puts her thumb over his, squeezing a bit in thanks. she uncrosses her arms and laces her fingers through his, resting their joined hands on the armrest between them.

“did you decide on a name?” minho asks, turning in his chair so he can better see her face. she squints out at the yard, the sun shining a little brighter and starting to hit her in the eyes. they have less than ten minutes now.

“i have some ideas. i want to see her first to feel it out, make sure it fits her. what about you? did you ever come up with any names? other than athletic heroes?” she says the last with a tone and a quirked eyebrow. minho laughs because of course all the names he’d proposed were of his favorite football stars. he had only been joking because, honestly, he was leaving the naming of the dog completely up to gwiboon because he’d already had a chance with jonghyun and had bungled it, though he liked how jonghyung had ended up calling her ‘roo’ instead of the whole name minho had chosen. and roo had forgiven him for her awful name, licking his face excitedly every time he goes over. so this dog gets to be named a person who isn’t furious their bed has just been shat in but rather one who is thoughtfully waiting to meet them before naming them.

finally the doors open and they get out of their car, along with the few other people who’ve slowly begun joining them in the parking lot, waiting in their own cars, now able to get inside and head to the kennel. it’s a heart-breaking place with poor lighting and each dog in their own tiny cage, bowls for water and food and a low hammock for them to rest on. a few in the back begin barking wildly and gwiboon reaches out to grip minho’s hand, squeezing it. they get about halfway down the kennel before they find her, a beautiful russet poodle mix who is lying quietly on her little hammock, watching them as they read her paperwork. according to what’s attached to the clipboard hanging from the door of her cage she’s two years old, housebroken, fully vaccinated, trained in basic commands, and has been at the pound for the last week after aging out of the one she was at previous. all told she’s spent the better part of four months being shuffled from pound to pound. gwiboon tears up at the thought. 

“let’s go ask about taking her outside, ok?” minho asks and gwiboon nods, wiping her eyes and smiling at the dog whose pound name is ‘jintae’. they head out to the front desk where they meet an older woman, old enough to be his mother, minho thinks idly, who they ask about taking the dog outside to better familiarize themselves with her.

“you see those ropes on the wall? the ones hanging from the hooks?”

they look to where she is pointing and see several green and yellow ropes with a hoop at one end and a handle at the other.

“yes,” minho replies, looking back.

“take one of those and put the hoop over the dog’s head: it works as both a collar and a leash. first i need you to give me your driver’s licenses and then you can head back and take her out to the dog yard. you know where it is?” gwiboon nods as she pulls out her driver’s license and minho adds “we saw it when we pulled in,” as he hands the woman his i.d. once she has both their cards she wishes them luck and they grab one of the ropes on their way back into the kennel.

jintae watches them quietly as they open her cage, making no move to escape. gwiboon slips the rope around her neck and jintae finally stands, panting happily and looking at gwiboon expectantly. as gwiboon steps out of the cage jintae follows, keeping in step next to gwiboon. 

it’s an easy walk, jintae neither runs ahead nor lags behind; she never pulls on the leash at all. they walk through the lobby and gwiboon has her first surprise when jintae lunges at one of the other prospective adopters, jumping up with her paws on his knees. the man laughs and pets her as she licks all over his hand and gwiboon is both amused and embarrassed. it’s good to know that the dog is friendly but it would be better if she wasn’t quite so aggressive about it. but it’s something that they can work on, a behavior that can trained away. 

gwiboon’s a little startled but she’s nowhere near giving up. 

they make it to the dog yard with a few more instances of jintae being distracted by her surroundings. gwiboon knows from the chart that she is taken out to the yard daily but she also knows from the same chart that it’s often for less than an hour a day. she’s not surprised by how excited jintae is, how she’s sniffing everything and beginning to tug on the leash. she lets her lead, lets her wander all over the yard, and lets her sniff at anything and everything she wants to. she draws the line at letting jintae run though which doesn’t seem to faze the dog at all; she just goes back to sniffing the soft grass under her paws. minho watches from a few steps away, watching jintae and watching gwiboon with jintae. she’s doing great, as far as minho can tell. jonghyun said that gwiboon seemed the type who would do well with a dog, kind but firm and minho is seeing that being expressed right in front of him. 

“you want a turn babe?” gwiboon asks, still holding on to the leash but turning back to face him.

“actually yeah, i would.” he walks towards her and takes the leash from her grasp, tying the rope around his finger the way jonghyun showed him. he wants to try something. something he knows gwiboon will berate him for later but something he feels is worth the risk. so he takes off running, the sound of gwiboon screaming at him fading as he runs across the yard. he’s happy to see that jintae is keeping up with him and happier still when she stops when he stops. they stand there together, breathing hard, minho smiling at jintae who seems to be smiling back at him in return. 

“you wanna try that again?” he asks the dog, his eyebrows waggling. she keeps looking at him with bright eyes, tongue hanging out the side of her mouth as she pants heavily. 

“ready, steady…go!” and off they run, man and beast racing back across the grass toward gwiboon who looks furious. when they get back jintae jumps on gwiboon, licking her hands, leaving muddy pawprints on her shirt. minho prepares himself for the eruption of gwiboon’s anger, both at what he knows she’ll refer to as his “juvenile display” and for the stains that are surely setting into her new sweater. instead he’s surprised to see her laugh, lean down, and let the dog lick her face. it’s an amusing sight but not so out of character; gwiboon has always loved dogs and typically melts around them. they make her soft.

“so what are you thinking?” minho asks, still holding jintae’s leash as gwiboon stands up, laughing and wiping her face on her sleeve.

“i’m thinking we found ourselves a dog, babe.”

“yeah, me too.” she leans in to kiss him and he recoils in faux disgust.

“you have dog slobber all over your face!”

“better get used to it mister. she gets all the kisses she wants. besides, so do you every time you come home from jonghyun’s but i still let you kiss me.” minho laughs and leans down to give her a soft kiss on the lips. she bites him a little which leads to a mini make out session. the bark from a dog coming up the walk with a woman who wears a bemused smile breaks them apart and they laugh, minho hiding his face, and head back inside, jintae happily walking between them.

when they get to the counter the same woman who took their driver’s licenses is there to greet them.

“how was it?” gwiboon beams, looking down at jintae.

“it was great,” she replies, “we are definitely ready to take her home.”

“that’s wonderful. let me get out the forms for you sign. would you mind grabbing her paperwork off her cage?” minho nods and hands the leash over to gwiboon, showing her how he had the rope twisted around his finger. he mentally kicks himself for not showing her earlier as he makes his way back through the dog kennel. he’d seen how she reacted to being in there and as much as it upset him to see the way the dogs were housed he knew it was agony for gwiboon not to be able to rescue them all. 

he grabs the clipboard off the hook and takes it back out to the front desk where the woman, who has since introduced herself to gwiboon as ‘louise’, takes it with a smile and walks over to the copier. it’s a long process, much longer than either of them anticipated. there was so much to do, so many forms to fill out, to sign. gwiboon shudders to think of how many animals must have been abused for there to be a box that says the adopter won’t use the pet for dogfighting. 

it’s a relief to gwiboon that the clerk never asks any personal questions, never tries to discern what exactly her relationship with minho is. it’s a point of contention for gwiboon that society at large seems intent on labeling what she has with minho when as far as gwiboon is concerned it’s none of their goddamn fucking business, though even the cashier the last time they were at the market seemed to think it was. however today is all about the dog and soon the question comes up of what they’re going to name her. gwiboon smiles and watches minho for his reaction.

“commes des garçon.”

just as she expected he tilts his head in confusion, realization sets in, and then he’s rolling his eyes and chuckling. the clerk pauses, her pen over the form, before asking how it’s spelled. gwiboon spells it out for her, making sure she writes the ‘c’ in ‘garçon’ correctly. once the paperwork is all signed and dated, and tucked into a manila envelope, louise asks if they’ve brought their own collar and leash or will they be using the roped leash from the pound? 

“oh! i almost forgot! it’s out in the car. i’ll be right back.” she hands the leash off to minho and heads out to the car. the night before had been spent at the pet store buying new bowls, a harness and leash, kibble, treats, a bed, and a crate. after today’s venture through the kennel, however, gwiboon cringes at the idea of ever putting her new pet into the crate. she’ll probably return it. 

she grabs the harness she bought, uncomfortable with the idea of pulling an animal around by the neck, and the leash, both black. carrying them inside, she makes sure, again, that she’s clipped the tags off and hopes that the harness fits the dog. when she gets back into the building she is not surprised when the dog jumps up on her, licking her hand. she laughs, gently pushing her back down to the ground. she slips the harness under commes des garçon’s chest and buckles it over her back. then she hooks the leash into the loop on the harness, looking up at minho who holds their paperwork in one hand and the pound leash in the other, smiling.

“I guess we don’t need this anymore.” he says, handing gwiboon the envelope and slipping the roped leash off commes des garçon’s neck. he heads back to the hooks and hangs it up next to all the others hanging off the wall. as he walks back towards gwiboon and commes des garçon he’s amused to see gwiboon looking down at the dog with a big smile on her face, the dog looking back up at her with bright eyes.

“looks like we’re ready,” he says, smiling down at commes des garçon himself.

“thank you so much,” gwiboon says to louise as they head out the door.

“yes, thank you,” minho reiterates from his place in the doorway, holding it open for gwiboon and commes des garçon.

they pile into the car, commes des garçon jumping in easily, settling onto the beach towel they’d tucked into the seat in the back. minho starts the car and they’re on their way, gwiboon turning back to look at the dog every few minutes. 

she’s so happy, she wants to hold minho’s hand but she knows he prefers not to when he’s driving: he likes to have both hands on the wheel. so she just smiles and rubs his shoulder for a minute, the contact having to be enough until they get home.

“we should sign up for some obedience training,” minho starts, glancing at gwiboon, “she seems really well-behaved except for the jumping up on people part.”

“yeah,” replies gwiboon, looking at the dog whose head is raised in an attempt to see what little she can out the windows. “just…i just want to take a few days, maybe a few weeks, and get to know her a little better.”

“sure.”

“and you know, after a while, if you want to take her to jonghyun’s that would be fine. not overnight, just to go to the dog park or to take a walk or just to hang out. it’d be good to let her socialize with other dogs.”

“all right, I’ll talk to jonghyun and see if we can work something out. he was pretty excited for you.”

gwiboon nods absently, already thinking about what they’ll do when they get back, what the adoption website had suggested they do when they first bring their shelter dog home. it’s going to be a lot of work. a big responsibility. but gwiboon’s ready and she knows minho’s ready too and as they drive home, talking about the dog and ways to make her adjustment to her new life easier, she feels content.


End file.
